Blade and Grace
by LabyrinthDweller
Summary: One boy, one girl, and an entire war between them. Yumi picked up this story without even thinking about what it meant, until the end...rated T for violence. Nothing else. it's a war, so...
1. Chapter 1

I can officially say that the second chapter in this story is my ultimate baby. I know I said that my Reese story was my favorite, but...**I LIED. **

The second chapter really is fanfiction, as I used Yumi in it, and it was inspired by a very poetic YxU pic I found on DeviantART. It's creator, Lyokolady, gladly allowed me to create a poem for it, which was ages ago. Ages later, I finished the short story on a dreary Wednesday night for my English/Language Arts class, the day before the due date. I was exhausted to my toes, but extremely happy that I had finished. I mean, I danced to music for fifteen minutes while I printed out the final copy. That ain't happy enough? (this was this week, by the way, that I finished it)

Anyway, if you don't like it at first, wait until the next chapter. (nudge nudge, wink wink)

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Yumi was bored.

She was sitting in the park at Kadic, bored out of her guts. It was such a normal day. Xana had been quiet for God knows how long, Odd was the same stupid purple-loving freak he always was, Jeremy was the same paranoid overworking genius he always was, Aelita was the same supportive generous pink-addict she always was, and Ulrich…well, he's been working on his language homework.

All of her friends were back at the school for free time, Odd wanting to play with Kiwi in the dorm, Ulrich wanting to take a break in the rec room from writing so much, and Jeremy and Aelita working on their latest Lyoko project. Yumi, having nothing to do, went for a short walk in the woods.

Not long after, Yumi was bored.

Nothing was amusing her, her school work was finished, she had nothing else to work on of her interest, and she was ultimately uninterested in anything else. After a while of just sitting there, she sighed and got up to walk again, her eyelids droopy. She walked for a minute or two, when she stumbled and almost tripped over something completely unexpected in the path. Annoyance blazing in her chocolate eyes, she turned around to see just _what it was_ that so rudely ruined her walk.

It was nothing that exciting. Just a boring, earthly green, tattered notebook. Yumi sniffed and picked it up idly. So what was a notebook doing here? Would it save her from boredom?

She had no idea how much it would.

Untidily scribbled on the front of the notebook was a name. Not surprising to Yumi, of course it would have a name. Plus, the notebook just happened to belong to her exhausted friend, Ulrich Stern. Yumi smirked. Ulrich had been working a lot, and most of his work was done right here in the park. He must've left a notebook behind without noticing. It wouldn't be that exciting to look at—he didn't really pay attention that well in school anyways. But there was something else scribbled on the front that caught her eye. It was the subject the notebook belonged in.

Language Arts.

Strange, Ulrich should have this with him. After all, Language Arts was his next class after free time, and their short story projects were due _today_. With as much work as Ulrich said he was putting into it, he should want to have it there, right?

Yumi flipped through it a bit, curious to find out just what his story was about. She stopped short when she found her own name.

… _Well then, Katashi, you've said your name, so I should say mine. I am Yumi Ishiyama, my family is of nobility here in my region. I still insist on washing my own clothes, however…_

As if that didn't pique her curiosity enough, Yumi soon found that her friend was very secretly an incredible writer. She found herself hooked into his story within an instant.


	2. Blade and Grace

Katashi blinked the rain from his eyes as he surveyed the soon-to-be battlefield. His horse pawed impatiently as the gray clouds slowly drifted overhead, dropping mists of water onto the dark-colored blades of grass. A scout rode up and stopped his horse beside Katashi's, waiting for his response. 

"Report," he ordered in his baritone voice. The scout took a breath and complied,

"The enemy lies ten minutes time beyond the other side of the ravine. They come in three troops the middle the largest and the two to the side smaller, Captain."

Katashi nodded without looking. "Does Captain Minoru know?" he asked without giving a hint of changed emotion. The scout nodded soundly, quieting his restless horse.

"He notes the animals are anxious. We are to advance with extreme caution, if we are the first to advance."

Katashi squinted through the mist. Minoru was right. With this much bothering the horses it would almost be safer off of them. Nevertheless, if they wanted to win they'd have to take the chances.

He scowled as a droplet of water dribbled into his eye. Rubbing at it with as much finger as his helmet and mask would allow, he struggled to clear his vision. The scout watched once again mesmerized by Katashi's unusual eyes.

Katashi hated his eyes. He inherited them from his mother, an elegant samurai's wife. She was one of a kind, known all throughout Japan as the Jade Maiden; because her eyes were the purest green ever to see the land. Katashi felt ashamed to bear such jewels of his deceased mother—after all, it was his fault she died.

As he blinked away the last of the rainwater, he thought he saw a strange shape behind the mist. Before he could call out a warning, the scout beside him became transfixed with an arrow in his chest. It wasn't long before he toppled off and his horse went wild in frenzy.

"Hold your positions!" Katashi shouted, drawing his long sword. Immediately he stabbed the horse in the head, so it wouldn't trample an unfortunate individual. As the great animal crumpled Katashi murmured a prayer for it before facing the direction from where the arrow flew.

"Archers, ready your arrows! Wait for my call! Watch the fog for any sign of enemy troops! Raise your defenses, prepare for projectile attack!" He scowled at the mist, cautious to look for dark shapes. He really didn't like the layout of the battlefield. About ten meters in front of him, the landscape gently sloped down into a ravine in which lay a small rushing river. It sloped back upward on the opposite side, where the mist covered the natural clearing. Thick pine forest flanked them on either side. It was going to be a rough battle. Katashi got an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Something bad was going to happen, he just knew it.

Captain Minoru's voice rang out loud and clear to him, "Katashi, advance to the slope! Keep your archers keen!"

Katashi narrowed his eyes. Surely the enemy had heard the command. He saw through what the other captain had said and shouted out the orders to move. Cautiously the men marched slowly up until they were only a step away from slipping down the ravine. Katashi scanned the battlefield once again to make sure there were no fogged shapes. Hand-signaling a soldier without taking his eye off of the enemy lines, he trotted over towards Captain Minoru's regiment. The soldier he signaled bowed and stole away.

Minoru was waiting for him as he approached. He nodded toward him as he rode up grim-faced.

"You signaled the movement? Minoru asked Katashi. Katashi scowled and looked over the ranks.

"Yes I did. We've lost a scout and a horse. They're over there, I know it."

Minoru looked sympathetically at the young captain, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Katashi…," he began "You're young, like me. But your temper is like the fire which creates our swords. You must try to cool down." Katashi looked away, knowing he was right.

"I will try…brother." Katashi answered. Minoru smiled.

"Good. Rally the troops and prepare your archers for the first line of fire. Watch for—,"

Minoru was interrupted by a _thok_ as an arrow imbedded itself in his shoulder. He cried out as he slid off his horse and rolled down the ravine. Katashi immediately directed all archers to fire. His order was met with crying men falling down in either injury or death.

"All ranks, advance with caution! Fire at will, attack!"

Skillfully Katashi led his horse down the ravine toward his elder wounded brother. As he advanced, he realized an enemy troop waiting on the other side of the river. Without hesitation he continued, calling out to his regiments, "Enemy in the ravine!" Drawing his sword, he landed his horse straight down on flat ground.

"Minoru!" he called, catching his brother's brown eyes. An enemy soldier crossed the river, advancing toward Minoru with a spear at the ready. Without paying much attention to his surroundings, Katashi kicked his horse, Fury, into a fast canter. Minoru tried to untwist the arrow from his shoulder, oblivious to the oncoming danger.

"Roll!" Katashi called. Without hesitation, Minoru easily rolled to the side just as the spearman stabbed the ground where he had been moments before. Katashi narrowed his sight to the spearman and raised his sword. Soon after the spearman's lopped head disappeared down the river.

Minoru finally ripped the arrow out of his shoulder, standing up as Katashi rode in between him and the enemy troop. It was hard to recognize him because of the lower-face mask, but Minoru knew him by the fiery glare in Katashi's fierce jade eyes.

"Mount quickly," Katashi breathed, "Before anything else—," Without warning, Fury bucked. Unprepared, but skilled enough not to fall off, Katashi controlled the maddened horse until he stopped. Peeking back, he noticed an arrow shaft sticking in Fury's back flank. A scowl emerged under the roaring demon face-mask as he watched the blood trickle down the faithful war-horse's side. Then, everything went dizzy.

"Katashi!" his brother screamed. He couldn't do anything to reply as it was his turn to topple off his mount, an arrow stuck in the tender space of bamboo armor between shoulder and chest. The arrow stuck in diagonally, tearing through his skin and piercing into his right chest. Black and red spots danced before him as he fell, but when he reached the freezing water, they stopped as they were laced over with sleepy blackness. He could only hear one more thing before he passed out.

"Katashiiiiii!"

* * *

Yumi sighed and laid her back against a tree. The drying clothes floated in the light breeze of this damp morning. Having finished with the chore of washing the clothes in the stream, she decided to rest and take in the beauty of nature's woodland. 

Her eyes strayed to the stream near her, fascinated at the cool crystal water running along across pebble banks and riverbeds. There were no imperfections in the stream as she watched calmly. No imperfections at all, until the water became ribbons of crimson.

The first thing to float by was a head of a warrior from her region. Her stomach turned, and she stood up because surely just a head wouldn't produce that much blood. The body must be close behind.

Much to Yumi's surprise, a body showed up—but not the body with a severed head. A samurai from the other region they were warring with was drifting gently down the stream. On a split decision, Yumi plunged into the cool water and waded in toward him. Not knowing if he was dead or not, she grasped his armor and began to pull him back onto the bank. It was hard, as the samurai was heavy, but she managed to pull him all the way up.

Yumi pondered what to do. After all, he _was_ with the enemy. But it didn't take long for her to decide. She hated war, and always tried to think of ways to stop it. Maybe this was her chance…

Tenderly she unbuckled his demonic face-mask, and slowly lifted his helmet off. She was quite surprised. This samurai was but a mere boy, maybe around the age of eighteen, a year younger than she was. To see him in full samurai armor was quite a shock. Another shock to her was that he was very, very handsome. Yumi felt her cheeks get hot even though she knew he could possibly be dead.

Speaking of dead, she should get back to the real world! He could still be alive, and if she wanted her plan to be noticed, she needed to help him!

Careful observation revealed his chest very softly rising and falling. It must hurt as well, Yumi thought, with that arrow stuck in him. Unstrapping his breastplate and removing it, she studied the arrow.

Yumi grimaced at the sight of his . She felt sick at the thought of pulling the arrow out of his chest, but she sucked in a breath, and grabbed the shaft. Putting pressure on the other side of his chest, she twisted and pulled.

The arrow was in deep. Very deep, in fact. Yumi was afraid that she'd kill him while trying to assist him. Covering up that fear, however, was the surprise that the boy didn't even twitch once the bloodied shaft was painstakingly removed from his chest. Yumi gagged and was just about to give up when she heard a _schuck_ as the pile of the arrow finally released the poor boy.

Tossing the arrow lightly aside, Yumi began to frantically think of something suitable to be used as a bandage for the wound. She looked toward the clean laundry for a sign, her eyes falling upon an old night gown of hers. Tearing it off the tree branch, she began to systematically rip it into multiple rags. Every now and then her gaze wandered over to the boy, ever curious about who he was and what he was like, or how long he would last.

Satisfied with all the rags she had, she chose a thin one and balled it up. Cautiously stalking up to him, she crouched down and uneasily wedged the bandage into the gaping, bleeding wound in his chest. (She even managed to do that without turning away in ill-manner.) Almost immediately after doing that she stood up and turned away, feeling very queasy. Forcing the rising bile down, she hastily grabbed the rest of the bandages and returned back to him, suddenly feeling better at the thought of saving someone's—an enemy's—life.

It wasn't easy picking up his limp body to wrap the bandages around him. Yumi applied layer after layer, constantly watching to see if his chest was still rising and falling in peaceful sleep. Her reddened palms became sweaty as she began to struggle with the rest of her nursing. The color of blood on her hands made her incredibly dizzy, and when she was finally finished, there was no hesitation as she raced over to the stream to scrub the off. As she was doing so, the boy stirred.

Thinking quickly, Yumi cupped water in her hands, turning around to dribble it over his mouth. His lips creaked open to allow as much water as possible to enter his parched mouth. Yumi let out a long sigh of repressed relief as he drank every last drop. She was going to ask something when his eyes creaked open slowly.

Even more shocking than the boy's looks were his eyes; which were a brilliant color of pure jade green underneath his tender eyelids. Yumi found herself frozen and unable to speak, locked onto his unusual—but beautiful—eyes. She was so entranced, she forgot she was wearing her family's noble colors—the colors of her region, the colors of his enemy.

The boy's eyes snapped open in angry surprise, and he sat up like a lightning bolt, knocking Yumi over in the process. Unprepared for immense pain, the young samurai stopped short, clutching his chest. He doubled over and moaned as Yumi sat back up after a cry of protest.

"Hey!" Yumi said indignantly, "Excuse me, but I don't think that's the right way to thank me, Mister!" Even though she was practically yelling, the boy directly ignored her. Yumi felt very peeved at this, and yelled even louder.

"_Hey!_ Did you hear me, Mister? Hey, _hey!_ Where are _you_ going with a wound like that? You can barely sit!" The boy, using trees for support, started to make his way upstream back to where he came from. Yumi felt her face get hot. She was infamous for her fiery temper, and even though she was trying to make some progress in peace, there was no way she was letting him off the hook. He had paused to catch his breath for a moment, heavily breathing in and out. Yumi decided to strike.

"Go on, keep walking! I bet you won't even take another _step_!" she spat, "You're staying _right here_, Mister, whether you want to or not!"

As if fueled by her taunt, the boy put one foot forward to prove he could go on, but he no sooner put his weight down did he shudder to a stop. Suddenly he found himself collapsing under his own weight.

Yumi ran up and caught him before he fell too far and tried to support him. The boy grunted angrily and fought back, trying to wrench himself free of Yumi's grasp. Yumi wouldn't hear of it. A sharp jab into his side made him dizzy and disoriented. Under normal circumstances a hit like that would've only shocked him, but the loss had taken its toll on his strong body. Yumi whispered savagely and confidently in his ear.

"Listen here, you. I'm through with playing nice if you try anything on me. I know how to fight, and in your condition it wouldn't be hard to take you down. As far as I'm concerned, nobody has to know about our little 'incident' here, unless you want to tell. I'm trying to _help_ you, okay? And in the big picture, I'm trying to help both our regions. I mean no harm if you don't. Do you understand?"

The boy was silent as he stared off into space, thinking deeply. Then, in a deep baritone voice, he said, "Yes." A smile crept up Yumi's face as she helped him stand up. He wobbled a bit, but soon he put more trust in her and let her completely support him.

"Good," she said as they walked, "By the way, I can't just keep calling you mister. You do have a name, don't you?"

The boy was silent once more as he pondered her inquiry. As she helped him sit down against a tree, he finally said, "Katashi," there was a moment's pause, in which he felt the need to elaborate his reply, "My name is Katashi."

Yumi smirked. "Oh, Katashi. I've heard of you. You're the Jaded Samurai, are you not? My little brother won't shut up about you. I should've known from the minute I saw your eyes. Well then, Katashi, you've said your name, so I should say mine. I am Yumi Ishiyama, my family is of nobility here in my region. I still insist on washing my own clothes, however."

Katashi's eyes flashed as Yumi recalled who he was. Really, the only reason people knew was because he was young and had his mother's eyes. Sometimes he truly wanted to rip his eyes out and trade for normal brown ones. What bothered him more, however, was that he had felt that sudden urge to elaborate himself only moments before. What had this girl done to him?

"You, you're still thirsty, right?" Yumi asked. Katashi didn't reply, he just stared at her expressionlessly. Yumi gave an exasperated sigh, and walked over toward her drying laundry, pulling out a polished wooden bowl.

"You are very stubborn." Yumi complained as she filled the bowl with cool water.

"With due respect, miss," Katashi retorted, "You are much more stubborn than I."

Yumi flashed him a glare in response as she kneeled beside him. Although, it was more of a playful glare than a menacing glare that she flashed. Like it or not, Yumi was slowly growing fond of the boy samurai. She watched closely as he tipped the bowl gently to his lips and closed his eyes, sipping slowly. Maybe in the long run it was a grave mistake to save him, but as her feelings clouded her judgment, she felt like it was the best choice in the world.

* * *

"We _have_ to send out a search party!!" Minoru roared. "There are chances he could still be alive! We have to find him!" 

Captain Minoru Yamamoto stood in front of his general, pleading him to help him try to find his little brother, who had been injured and had disappeared on the battlefield. He argued that he knew where to search seeing as he watched him drift down the broad stream. The general felt Minoru's pain, for Katashi was a valuable captain in his army. But the general didn't like the situation, for Katashi's body floated down into enemy territory, and if they sent a party, it would invoke yet another attack on their army, meaning more lives of good officers lost. Their most recent battle had been a draw, but both sides suffered greatly in the end—it was estimated that they did more than the others. It was too risky.

"I'm sorry, Minoru, I cannot give out the order. Katashi meant a lot to us, I know, but I can't risk another battle without any preparations. You're going to have to learn to just let it go," the general calmly explained. Minoru burned.

"That's exactly what you told me when Mother died giving birth to Katashi. I was two, general, _two_. I don't think I could've let it go if I wanted. Katashi's my brother, and you know how his eyes impact us both!" Minoru sighed, ready to give in. The general looked ahead sadly.

"He was very much like Namiko…," he said distantly, "Right down to his hot-headedness…,"

"Father…," Minoru pleaded once more, "Please…,"

A sad silence dominated the decorated room as the general—Katashi and Minoru's father—contemplated his decision. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, knowing Minoru wouldn't like his answer. More silence ensued, and the general opened his mouth.

"Father!" A voice protested. Recognizing the sound instantly, both Minoru and the general snapped their attention to the door. Leaning on it for support, Katashi stood there, a faintest hint of a smirk on his face. Totally taken by surprise, Minoru jumped up in excitement.

"K-Katashi!! You, you're…!" He ran up to him like a neglected puppy dog and nearly bowled him over in a huge bear hug. Katashi gasped in pain and tried to escape his larger brother.

"GACKT! M-Minoru…Ar…Arrow wound…!" he winced. Minoru released him instantly, keeping his hands on Katashi's shoulders. A wide smile emerged on his face as he helped him not to collapse.

"Brother, how did you survive? That was quite a hit! What happened?"

Katashi nursed his injury as Minoru led him to sit down in front of their father. As soon as he was comfortable, he explained everything that happened—edited, of course.

"A hermit lady living near the river, she picked me up. I woke up in her simple abode. She helped to heal me as best she could. Eventually I became well enough to be sitting here right now."

The general re-closed his eyes, hiding a smile. "That was an incredible stroke of luck, dear Katashi. Don't expect that to happen again."

"I won't, father,"

"In the meantime, your arrival will be celebrated tonight," the general continued. Katashi interrupted without much pause.

"Forgive me, father, but must we celebrate my home coming?" Minoru gave him a strange look.

"That fall must've made you forget. Tonight we celebrate a festival to Mother Amaterasu. It would be of no trouble to include your homecoming within the festival. After all, if you remember we're having a private-invite party here at the house. Father has even hired a gifted geisha to perform tonight. Do you remember?"

Katashi's stomach knotted. Now that he remembered he couldn't stop the fluttering of butterflies in his belly from trying to burst out of him. He really didn't like festivals or gatherings at all. All the talking and excitement and the…_people_! Sometimes being a very strict introvert wasn't that pleasant to live with. Plus, they'd all be asking him the same questions over and over and Katashi stifled a groan. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The festival to the goddess Amaterasu was bright and friendly, with many types of food, music, and lots of miscellaneous entertainment to please and individual. But Katashi stayed inside, far away from the noise and crowded conditions of the streets of the city. Besides, there was enough going on in his house as it was. Many other captains and generals had shown up, bringing their goodwill and gifts to the Yamamoto abode. Katashi was given many congratulations and admiration toward his great bravery in his feats to save Minoru. Katashi shallowly thanked them all, hiding his discomfort. Finally, as if a present from Amaterasu herself, his father called everyone to attention. They seated themselves on the sides of the room in front of low-to-the-floor tables, where tea and plates had been set out. The general stood at the front of the room—the door opposite. He cleared his throat before beginning his opening speech. 

"Dear friends, I must thank you for coming all this way to celebrate with my sons and I the feast dedicated to our great Mother, Amaterasu," there was a short pause to allow clapping and cheers to Amaterasu. The general smiled and continued.

"And, as further celebration, I have brought a special treat. A geisha by the name of Sakura Samurai has been kind enough to travel across our region to come here. She is not well known, but I hear she is quite gifted in the fine art of dance. A warm welcome, if you please,"

All eyes turned toward the door as it slowly opened and a beautiful, graceful girl floated out through the door and into the room. Katashi's chest contracted with high unease as he saw the face of the elegant "geisha." He never thought he'd see her again—and within two days at that.

Yumi made swift eye contact with him, but didn't make a note that she recognized him. Without flaw, she flew straight into her performance. Katashi tried hard not to think of what happened before as he watched, but he couldn't help but feel a small strike of panic within his chest. She was here as a spy, it had to be. And if the rest of the men found out, well then, it was all over.

But as her dance ensued, Katashi couldn't help but let the constricting feeling pass as he stared at her sparkling beauty. She was grace itself, twisting and turning like a falling blossom. But as soon as she lowered herself all the way to the ground, the dance shifted from beauty to beast. The dance became violent like two dueling swordsman as her movements changed to sharp fighting gestures, slashing and prodding at imaginary foes. Without warning, she leapt at Katashi, drawing the sword that was strapped firmly to his waist. Startled, Katashi jumped as Yumi waved the glittering weapon in front of him. Those who saw this chortled, and Katashi felt his face grow red in embarrassment. A small smirk flashed across Yumi's face, but Katashi was the only one keen enough to catch it.

Yumi dutifully finished her dance with one more suave motion of grace, followed by a cruel stab at the air with Katashi's blade. She remained motionless in this pose, until the room burst with applause and cheering. Indeed, the only one who didn't clap was Katashi himself. After all, he was still embarrassed about the previous incident.

One of the generals sitting next to Katashi slapped him soundly on the back, exclaiming in a deep, loud, bass voice.

"Katashi, my boy, brave you may be, but I find you lack the courage to stand up to a girl!"

With this the entire room burst out laughing. Yumi put a wide sleeve to her mouth and giggled softly. She walked over to where he sat and respectfully handed back his katana.

"I appreciate you letting me use this, sir," she said as a servant would to a master, pouring him a cup of tea, "It has been some time since a man has been so considerate to me." Katashi silently moaned as she flicked her wrist, showing him her bare skin. A discreet showing of the wrist always symbolized a sign of affection between a geisha and whomever she was serving. Katashi snatched the cup as soon as she had moved on to the next man in waiting, sipping it casually as if to cover his nerves.

The room soon became full of male voices, talking and laughing at their friends. Yumi bowed in the door way as soon as she was done serving the tea, and disappeared into the hallway. Katashi tried hard not to think about it until the food was served five minutes later. Katashi stared at the luscious feast, but failed to find the appetite to begin. The bass-voiced general beside him looked concerned and leaned over.

"Is something wrong, Katashi?" he whispered. Katashi kept his gaze fixed on the food as he answered.

"My…My wound seems to be upsetting me…," he lied, trying to sound nauseous—and succeeding, "I…think I'll go lie down for a bit…," he finished. The bass-voice general nodded.

"It'll only do you well. But don't expect there to be a feast when you recover!"

Katashi smiled wryly as he quietly slipped out of the busy room. No one but his brother Minoru noticed.

* * *

Yumi felt her stomach churn with uncertainty as she half-blindly made her way through the dark abode. She did not want to be chosen for this spy of a job, but the royal army along with her father insisted it was for the best. Yumi saw straight through this lie, but she said nothing to object. 

_This is so crazy…_she thought, _first I had to act like a geisha, second I'm in that poor young (cute) samurai's house invading his home, and now THIS!_

She came across a door with an elaborate metal knob welded in a shape of a roaring Oni, or demon, face. A thin smile crept up Yumi's face as she was about to open the door…before a strong hand roughly gripped her shoulder and spun her around.

A gasp caught in Yumi's throat as a tall dark shape towered over her. _Oh great…_ she thought, _so much for daddy's little girl_.

"I—I…," she stuttered, looking for the right excuse. She knew, however, that no excuse could get her out of this situation. She was doomed to whatever fate they decided. She swallowed her saliva and waited.

"What do you think you're doing?" a familiar voice hissed into the darkness. Yumi, still scared to death, barely managed to choke out a hoarse whisper.

"K-Katashi!!"

"You two-timing—,"

"No, no, no Katashi, wait! I didn't know I'd be doing this until yesterday, I swear to Amaterasu! I swear to the sun!" Yumi could almost hear him scowl as she pleaded.

"P-Please! You have to believe me!"

"Why? Why should I believe you?!" he fumed.

"B-Because…," Yumi whispered, "I-I…,"

"Katashi!! What is going on here?!" Minoru demanded. Katashi replied as if he was waiting for him to appear.

"This 'geisha' here is a spy from our enemy! She was about to go into father's room!"

"No…!" Yumi whimpered. Katashi didn't seem to notice her at all.

"What?!" Minoru growled. Katashi sniffed and explained, not giving any notion that he really cared about what would happen to her. Yumi shook her head in the dark as Minoru lit up the hallway while Katashi talked.

"My wound was hurting, so I left to go lie down for a bit. I saw this one sneak by towards father's room, so I followed her, and here we are."

Yumi couldn't believe what she was hearing from Katashi's mouth. She had saved his life! He was a samurai, wasn't he supposed to repay her?!

Minoru nodded and ran off over to where he would interrupt the festivities. Yumi's breaths were high-pitched and loud, born solely from fear. Katashi sniffed again, and pressed her against the wall. His hand grazed her neck as he quietly whispered into her ear.

"Trust me."

Minoru returned a few moments after with his father, the bass-voiced general, and a few others to find Katashi restraining the struggling 'geisha' against the wall. The father general looked mighty disappointed in her as he gave out the orders.

"Niro, take the and wash her make up off. The rest of you, with me in my chamber, now."

The bass-voiced general bowed and took Yumi by the elbow, leading her away. Everyone else followed the general into his room. The meeting's agenda was apparent to everyone.

"What shall we do with her?" A captain asked. Lots of people shouted out their own answers.

"Slay her!"

"Keep her hostage!"

"Torture information out of her!"

"Ransom!"

"_Silence!_" the general roared, "I will not tolerate this nonsense! I do not want our nation to be seen as monsters in such ways! If any of you has a better idea, please, share!"

The room was silent for a moment from shame. There was a minor shuffle of embarrassed feet as everyone tried to think of a better plan. Finally, somebody spoke up, for he hadn't said a word when everyone else did.

"I may have an idea…," Katashi piped. All eyes turned to him, beckoning to share. He took in a breath, and complied with their questioning looks.

* * *

Yumi winced as a sharp twig scratched her cleaned cheek as she ran through the thick black trees with only the filtered light of the stars to guide her. 

Katashi and the other captains and generals roughly pushed her to the edge of the woods while she was blind folded. They told her to run into the forest should she wish to return to her region on the other side. After they undid the blindfold, she bolted straight into the blackness without thinking. She knew they were sending someone to pursue her, so she didn't stop once in hopes of not having to meet whoever they sent.

Not being able to see in front of her, she tripped straight over a jutting root. Tumbling over herself, she landed right into the dirt. Crying out in pain, she nursed her ankle, rubbing it to try and ebb away the awful feeling of a sprain. As she sat there, she thought she heard something pant and growl in the dark.

A rippling shiver traveled up Yumi's spine, and she used a tree to help her stand up. Keeping herself alert, she limped ahead slowly, barely seeing a clearing ahead. She tried to calm her breathing as she approached and forced herself into the small dimly lit field.

It was almost too quiet to be natural. There wasn't even a wind to rustle the trees to even create a reassuring noise of life. Yumi shivered and limped further into the clearing, when she saw it.

A sinewy, tawny, giant cat stood opposite from her, its thick tail swishing the ground in annoyance. Yumi froze in ill fear as she locked eyes with the savage beast. Even in the darkness she could see the hunger in its eyes. It took all of her courage not to cry out as the great cat began to circle her. She mirrored its motion as best she could for a while, until it stopped at a point where they were ninety degrees from their original spots. Yumi's heart beat rose to a hundred kilometers an hour one second before it leaped at her throat.

This time, she really did scream as she stumbled backward, struggling to avoid its claws and fangs. Pain rocketed up from her ankle, but she didn't care as she narrowly tried to dodge the cat's attack. It wasn't long until warm liquid erupted from her shoulder. Yumi was stunned for a moment, until her lips split open in a loud scream as the throbbing came as ferocious as the cat.

Surprisingly, the cat reared up and yowled with her. Yumi took the opportunity to scuttle away from underneath the beast, stealing a chance to see what caused it to howl.

Katashi dashed across the clearing with unimaginable speed, bowling into the cougar and retrieving the knife he had thrown into its side moments before. Stunning the cougar with a quick jab to the temple, he sprinted to Yumi, grabbing her uninjured shoulder and almost dragging her closer to the woods.

"K-Katashi?! You, you're the—," Yumi gasped. Katashi interrupted, talking very quickly.

"No time! Stay here and avoid the cat! Stay!"

Katashi swiveled around just in time to see the cougar leap. He narrowly side-stepped the pounce, slashing at the cat as it flew by. It gave a short, angered roar before it landed face first into the ground. Katashi twirled his katana and stepped in between Yumi and the cat, splattered with the latter's blood. The cougar growled and turned around to face him, bent on revenge and not listening to its screaming instincts to run away. Katashi shook his head.

"Don't do this, wild spirit…," he told the cat. The cat didn't seem to listen and advanced at a fast lope. Katashi didn't hesitate to slash low, ruining its front paws. The cat fell forward to be stabbed in the neck, ending its life instantly. Yumi flinched as the animal crumpled, but silently went along with Katashi's murmured prayer. After he was done, he turned to her, concern showing in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Yumi shifted uncomfortably and replied with as much confidence and as less pain as she could.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

Katashi gave a disbelieving grimace as he cleaned and sheathed his sword. Yumi winced quietly as she propped herself up against a tree, trying to take weight off of her clawed shoulder and keeping her ankle from moving too much. Katashi avoided looking at her by unwrapping some cloth on his arm and starting to prepare them for bandages.

"Katashi…," Yumi began. Katashi didn't seem to pay attention as he began to carefully press bandages to her shoulder, but Yumi knew he was listening well, "Why…Why did you save me?" Yumi silently cursed. That wasn't exactly what she wanted to ask, but it came out that way, so that's the way it would be.

"I thought I told you," Katashi mumbled as he wrapped cloth across the pressed pads on her shoulder, "Trust me."

Yumi cringed as a bolt of hurting stings shot up from her shoulder. Katashi paused until he knew she was okay, and continued as she talked.

"You're a hard person to trust," she pointed out, "First you corner me and make me believe you want me dead, then you say that I should trust you while you make a loving touch to my neck, then you're back to wanting me dead, and now you've saved my life. So which is it? Do you want me gone, or is there more to it than that?"

Katashi stopped wrapping the bandage. His green eyes stared ahead at his paused hands, Yumi's stained gown, and bandages, thinking about how to reply. Finally he started up again and replied rather softly and reserved, "I haven't met many people I could trust myself…,"

Yumi kept her hearing on high tune to catch everything he said.

"Plus I…," Katashi paused to think about what he was going to say, but then decided against it and left the sentence hanging. Yumi gave an exasperated sigh, puffing out her cheeks and letting it out with a whoosh of air. This was getting them nowhere.

"So why did you do those things?" she finally asked, about to run short on patience.

Katashi thought for a while before answering, "Repayment, for how you helped me after the battle."

Yumi waited for a more elaborate answer, but he didn't say anything more.

"Anything else…?" she asked, hoping that she would dig up some facts. Katashi didn't change his stone-faced expression.

"Nothing more."

Yumi pursed her lips shortly in disappointment, and turned her head away from him. Katashi felt a sharp pang in his chest, but he outwardly showed nothing.

"Ow!" Yumi cried, snapping her head back to where Katashi was tying a tight knot on her wound. "Not so tight! That hurts!"

"If I tie it any looser, it wouldn't stop the bleeding." Katashi said bluntly. Yumi glared at him, ready to start a fight. However, she couldn't find a good contradicting statement, and was forced to leave it be. Sulkily she let him finish the bandage with two more knots added to it. He stood up, and readied to leave.

"You aren't coming?" he asked. Yumi felt her face flush, and it was only more so embarrassing now because she had no thick white make up to save her from him seeing it.

"I—I, er, my uh, ankle's…,"

Katashi rolled his eyes and offered his hand. Yumi took it and gripped on as she unsteadily stood up using one foot and Katashi for full support. It was a messy business, and it ended up with Yumi stumbling forward and Katashi catching her right as her face planted itself in his chest. Yumi gritted her teeth as her ankle awkwardly caught part of her weight as she fell forward. Katashi gritted his teeth as Yumi fell awkwardly onto his chest, right on the place where the arrow had been. After they had eased the pain away, they noticed their even more awkward position, and both of them blushed.

"I, er…," Yumi tried to explain. Katashi said nothing as he supported her, taken aback at this strange new emotion that flooded his mind and made him woozy, as if he was drunk. Yumi twisted her face in confusion as she tried to pull away from him yet still have him there to support her. It took a minute or two of re-adjustment, but soon Katashi was to her injured side, ready to assist her in walking the rest of the way. They walked to the other side of the clearing, when a thought crossed Yumi's mind.

"Katashi…wait," Katashi stopped walking and glanced down at her, waiting for her to continue, "That…that touch to the neck you gave me, if you wanted to repay me and nothing else, then…what was that for?"

Katashi grimaced, showing his teeth and looking away, blushing a rough crimson. He spoke through his teeth, hoping to cover up the all-too-obvious fact that he wasn't prepared whatsoever for that question. Yumi looked at him, and inwardly smiled, knowing she had hit a weak spot.

"I-It…was for reassurance that you'd trust me…," he muttered, hoping that they could start walking again so this conversation would end.

"That's a strange way to earn someone's trust," Yumi commented. Katashi flinched, and edged ever so further forward. Yumi continued to bash him with her deductions, "One wouldn't think that a gesture such as that would earn trust—more likely, it would probably build up suspicion or fear depending on the individual. All in all—,"

"Enough!" Katashi shouted, ready to drop her to the ground should he need to do that. Yumi shut her mouth, but kept her chocolate eyes locked onto him just to reassure him that he wasn't getting away this easily. "Do you want me to help you or not?" he snapped, avoiding eye contact. Yumi blinked.

"How long will it take for you to realize what you had done, therefore turning you around to come back?"

Katashi squinted his eyes shut, uncomfortable out of his mind. The only reason why he was uncomfortable was simply this: He was afraid.

Yumi looked at him rather sadly, seeing his internal strife as he stood there, eyes shut and lips trembling. She decided to soften up a little bit, and offered a saving conversation.

"Will we see each other again someday?" she inquired, hoping he would answer to this. Katashi released some pressure that he put on closing his eyes, and replied in a deft way, a way that only a boy who is afraid of emotion would ever choose to go with.

"I…don't know,"

Yumi smiled, and stumbled about so she was in front of him, grasping onto his shoulders.

"In that case…," she said delicately, "Might we part with a small gift?"

Katashi opened his eyes in curiosity to see what she meant, only to have them fly open in astonishment as her lips touched his warmly. After a few seconds or so of pure shock, his eyes shut once more—but in a calming way—and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back with as much warmth as she was kissing him.

A flare of thrills and chills swerved around Yumi's heart as she felt Katashi respond kindly to her action, and she just about melted in his arms through the cool air of the night.

Katashi, although overly surprised, was actually very glad that she had made this move, and complied to love her back without flaw. The only thing he didn't expect was how sweet it felt to have someone else in this world that would comfort him no matter how rough the road got. Maybe he shouldn't be afraid of this after all.

* * *

Yumi's family was in a minor crisis as she stumbled in during the wee hours of the morning with a sprained ankle and a bleeding, bandaged shoulder. Her mother went into ire of high annoyance at her husband, asking him over and over again why he forced her to do this. Her father kept asking her if she was alright and that she shouldn't have spent so much time in the house. Her little brother was blabbing about how jealous he was that she was in the Jaded Samurai's house. She ignored every one of them, with only a few nods to her father and reassuring coaxes to her mother to restore their confidence that she was, indeed, okay. Her brother, however, received not one bit of reassurance, as she had heard his ramblings a thousand times before. 

A couple of days flew by without her notice as she limped about her chores; (despite her parents' protests) acting like the spying incident had never happened. Her replies to them, however, were always distant, as if she were lost somewhere in Wonderland the entire time. Indeed she was, because even she tried her hardest to focus on something else, her thoughts would always without doubt float away to Katashi, wherever he was. Truth was she couldn't tear herself away from him ever since she had made the incredibly folly move to kiss him when they both least expected it. Heaven, that's all she thought about. A girl in love, that's all she was about.

A sly giggle emitted from her lips as she slipped into her night gown, thinking of when she and Katashi first met. She did a quick run-through of her hair with her comb before climbing into the low, warm sheets of her bed. It wasn't long before she slipped off into dream world, with only Katashi there to keep her company on her journey through her mind.

* * *

Katashi, Minoru, and a half score of soldiers breathed in the cold night air, watching as their breath crystallized and floated away from them. Katashi stood next to Minoru on Fury, trying to hide his shame and contempt for himself. 

He was, after all, standing only a hundred meters from Yumi's abode.

Katashi had tried to discreetly talk his father and the rest of the generals out of attacking the noble family's household without being found out of his relationship with their daughter. He only got to about three sentences before the generals blocked him out entirely. Unhappily, he shut himself up, knowing that if he tried any harder they would start to get suspicious of his actions. And now he was here, wallowing in a pool of self-hatred and silent apologies to his new found love.

Minoru waved two fingers to the front line of soldiers, who in turn passed the message along the entire regiment. Katashi felt his stomach twist in sickness as torches were lighted all around. Why do houses have to be made out of mostly wood?

Quietly, those with the torches advanced at a swift pace, seeming to glide across the grass in the sparse moonlight. Katashi shifted uneasily in his saddle as he watched the glowing dots of flame slowly, painfully reach toward the house. His brother gave him a quick glance, but said nothing.

A long tongue of flame suddenly started to lick on one side of the house. It wasn't long before another, another, and yet another column of fire arose to eat away at the houses foundation. Katashi stared in horror at how fast it spread. Minoru nodded, and gave the signal for the remaining soldiers to begin moving forward.

"Keep low to the ground, and don't allow _any_ survivors." He said, kicking his horse into a walk as he spoke. Katashi shivered, and allowed Fury to follow without command. It wasn't long until they were galloping up to the burning abode, stopping at least ten meters from the flame's reach. Katashi tried to block out the roaring of the flames and the shattering of glass and porcelain objects as he stood there, face to the heat, back to the cold. However, as he soon found out, ignorance was impossible.

A splitting feminine scream ripped through the otherwise still night air, chilling the hearts of all the men there, but entirely freezing Katashi's heart. He didn't care who exactly it was, as long as it resembled a woman in pain, he couldn't just stand there.

"Katashi! Where are you—Katashi? Katashi!!" Minoru called as Katashi dismounted Fury and sprinted straight into the burning house. Katashi didn't hear him as he crashed through the back door, rolling straight into a fiery oven, reminded him of the belly of the beast of Hell.

* * *

Yumi was shaken from her warm dreams by her screaming mother to be thrown in an even warmer environment. The air smelled and was clogged, and her entire room seemed to be glowing an orangish-red. The realization of what was happening rammed her in the chest like a comet, and she flew straight up in bed, crawling out of it and grabbing a grubby work robe and throwing it on quickly, knowing that the night outside was cold. Rubbing her eyes to try and help to focus them in the dim light, she scanned her ways out. She ran to the window and peeked outside to see lots of men from Katashi's region, and Katashi's brother screaming out his name as his horse unsteadily bucked and danced as Minoru tried to coax it closer to the flames. Out the window was no option, for as soon as she landed she would earn herself a few broken limbs, plus there was an army out there for a reason—to allow no survivors. 

Her heart thumped in her chest loudly as she tried to figure out a rash plan for a escape route. She knew that there was an underground passage below her, somewhere downstairs. It would be difficult, but she would have to make her way down from the second story, blindly searching through flames and white-hot objects. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a sweaty palm, and uneasily walked forward.

No sooner than she did than a piece of the ceiling above her and groan under great pressure as the fire weakened the wood work. She froze in fear, praying that it would hold long enough to let her pass. After she got over her fright, she slowly inched forward toward her door, warily taking into account every board that creaked in response.

_CRACK!_

Yumi had almost no time to respond as a board from above came down on her injured shoulder. She muffled her scream as the room got incredibly dizzy all of the sudden. She looked dazedly up as she heard another crash, seeing a foreboding figure in the doorway with a humanoid appearance, but with a gaping Oni mouth.

"No!!" Yumi cried as she backed up, away from this "Spirit of Death." As she backed up, the ceiling above her partially gave in, and a blunt piece of wood fell straight down and cracked onto her head, knocking her unconscious.

Katashi's eyes widened in horror as he saw Yumi collapse under a piece of burning wood shank, her protests being cut short. He leaped over some minor wreckage and gingerly flipped the log off of her. He grabbed her by the waist and swung her over his shoulder, jumping out of the way just as the rest of that portion of ceiling came raining down. Breathing hard, he dashed out the door way and down the collapsing stairs, landing on solid ground. He could barely feel the vibration of Yumi moaning against his back, and was pushed even harder to get out of there as fast as possible. The only problem was all visible exits were blocked.

Katashi turned in a full circle, spotting a weakening wooden wall facing toward the woods that separated their regions.

"Dear Goddess Amaterasu, lend me your strength…," he whispered before crashing through the wall, landing out into the cold, dark air.

* * *

Minoru stood there helplessly in horror as his brother failed to reappear in the doorway. Thousands of questions raced through his head to _why_ Katashi would do such a foolish thing as this. That's when almost everything hit him. 

Being cured by a 'hermit lady' living near the river.

Finding out that Yumi wasn't actually a 'geisha.'

Giving a good suggestion to their father on how they should make do with the imposter—which included no intentional harm done to the girl.

Trying to get the generals not to burn down the home of this imposter.

Rushing into the incinerating building as soon as he heard a woman scream.

Minoru's jaw dropped as he realized what was going on with his little brother. A wave of different feelings overcame him as one single conclusion flashed in his head.

Katashi was in love.

Fury whinnied and bucked, turning around a few times, then galloping off into the woods. Minoru's attention was directed to the horse when he saw affirmation of his suspicions.

Katashi was racing toward the woods to meet Fury there, an unconscious girl slung over his shoulder.

* * *

Yumi moaned as a gentle hand shook her awake. She opened her eyes ever so slightly to see a blurred figure kneeling in front of her with his hand reaching out to her good shoulder. She shut them again and coughed deeply, the burning sensation of ash in her nose and throat. A sigh of relief was heard as she rolled over a bit to try and cough to the side. Katashi steadily rubbed her shoulder up and down, watching her try to relive the awful feeling from the back of her throat. 

"Yumi, are you okay?" he asked, still rubbing her shoulder. In between she managed to choke out one word.

"W-Water…,"

Katashi nodded and walked over to Fury, who carried his canteen. He unfastened it and kneeled back down next to her, letting her slowly sip from its crude rim. It helped immensely, and with a few drinks and spits later, Yumi felt the ash slide away and her throat becoming more normal once again.

As she took in her bearings she noticed with a jolt that it was the exact same clearing where the giant tawny cat had attacked her. The corpse was gone, but when she looked she could still see traces of blood here and there on the ground. To her right Katashi kneeled beside her and beyond him was a strong, meant-for-business looking horse. It was mostly black, with a musty orange colored underside and a orange snip in the shape of a candle flame. The horse looked at her with boredom, then went back to what he was doing before: grazing. Katashi smiled warmly at her.

"Don't let Fury intimidate you, he's just stubborn—," he paused as his smile grew wider, "like you." Yumi offered a weak smile and pushed him lightly. Katashi suddenly dropped his smile as his face became suddenly serious.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Yumi…," he said with sorrow. Yumi stared straight ahead, knowing what he was talking about.

"I tried to stop them, but if I went too far…,"

"Don't," Yumi protested quietly. Katashi dropped his gaze to the ground, ashamed. Yumi sighed and asked him a question.

"Do you know anything about the rest of my family?" Katashi shook his head.

"No. I had to get in there and out. I didn't see or hear anyone else. The house was close to collapsing, as…you soon found out," he answered, struggling with his words. Yumi bit her lower lip.

"They're probably fine…," she said to reassure mostly herself, "There's an underground passage on the first floor, they probably had better access to that then I did. I…," Yumi found herself unable to finish her sentence. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, when a distant shout shattered their thoughts.

"Oh, Minoru…," Katashi whispered in low horror, "If he finds us with the others…it's all over. We'll be killed!"

Yumi shook her head.

"They can't do that though! Why would they do that?"

"Regardless if he's my brother, they will. And they'd do the same thing if they were from your region too. Things like this happen between rival—warring—nations. Both of us know that."

"What do you suggest we'll do then?" Yumi countered, "Run away? Fight? Do nothing? I don't know about you, but I don't want to die in that kind of way!"

"Running away will deepen our grave—no matter how fast they'll hunt us down. Fight? In both our conditions? Are you mad? I'm already dishonored as it is anyways, either way I'll end up dying for sure." Katashi said, voice hoarse and fast.

"Dishonor…," Yumi whispered, her voice trailing off in thought. Another shout and the sound of a horn jumped Yumi to a very fast, very real conclusion.

"Seppuku!" she finally said. Katashi looked at her like she was crazy.

"What?!" he asked rhetorically. Yumi still answered.

"Seppuku, Katashi! I know, it's stupid but…but I don't think I could ever live either way, especially if I did survive because I know you'd be and—…," she cut herself off with a wince, unable to continue her reasoning. Another horn sounded, this time much closer than the last, but still far off. Katashi sighed, and drew his knife, or tantō, Yumi's heart rate increased. Given it was a stupid idea, but at a desperate moment, they had both agreed.

In the middle of the clearing, Yumi sat in front of Katashi with her back to him. Katashi had taken all of his armor off, and only had his tantō with him. On sudden impulse Yumi turned her head around and gave Katashi a quick, but passionate kiss. Katashi sadly complied, then gently pulled away. Yumi kept her hand on his cheek as he brought his arms around her abdomen, knife in hand. Her other hand grasped his free one, intertwining her fingers within his. One last horn blast was heard, then Katashi brought the knife down, stabbing through both of them in the left abdomen, then making a cut to the right. Blood trickled down both their robes as pain suddenly coursed through every inch of their body. Yumi flinched and gasped as the knife slid all the way through her stomach. Katashi twitched as it entered halfway through his, slicing through his skin with relative ease. He moved the hand that was recently on the tantō up to graze Yumi's neck one last time. A smile flashed on Yumi face as she felt her life slowly ebb away from her body.

"Ka…ta…shi…,"

Minoru burst into the clearing, startling Fury into a little rampage of his own. His eyes widened in dismayed sadness when he saw two very familiar bodies lying next to each other. Sliding off of his mount he walked forward in disbelief as he saw a growing pool of blood underneath them.

He was too late.

* * *

The war was put on a hold between the two regions. Yumi's family was found three days later, dirtied from the underground passage they had used to escape. When news of their daughter hit them, they broke into sobbing pieces. 

Minoru put himself as solely responsible for both of their deaths, although their father would not hear of such a thing. Katashi had performed seppuku, a type of samurai ritual that was done to restore one's honor before they died, or was done if they had fallen into enemy hands. The two lovers' message was clear to both of the regions.

The bodies were removed and cremated side by side, the ashes set into the same box. The box was kept by the general until the appropriate time of the ceremony, where the ashes would be spread over their death place.

A few days after the box was handed to the general, a small gathering was held in the clearing. Minoru held Katashi's katana, while Yumi's little brother held a fan of hers that her mother managed to save from the fire. The blood still wasn't cleaned up from the clearing, as there was a huge crimson stain in the middle of the field. Minoru and Yumi's little brother had set up a small memorial there in the midst of the crimson circle. Katashi's katana was set in such a way that it was diagonally stabbing Yumi's fan, a poetic symbol to the tragedy that had occurred there not long before.

Both Katashi and Yumi watched this from a heavenly place in the clouds, as the rival regions soon became neutral, and soon after became allies. In the end, they both got their secret wish.

The samurai his sword.

The geisha her fan.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh man, not now!!" Ulrich cried, throwing his stuff carelessly around the courtyard as three of his friends watched him wreak havoc on his poor backpack. After a while of listening to Ulrich's disbelieving cries and curses, Odd finally managed to ask the question running through all of their minds. 

"Dude, what is it?"

"My Language project! It's gone, I swear it was right here but now it's gone!"

"Well, try to think. Where was the last time you saw it?" Aelita said, trying to calm him down. Ulrich shook his head, claiming it could be anywhere.

Jeremy glanced at his watch. "Class starts in two minutes, Ulrich, better find it fast!" Odd had already given up.

"Better think of a good excuse fast!" he said, imitating Jeremy. Jeremy gave him a glare and Odd shrugged and smiled. Ulrich groaned and began to dejectedly repacking his bag, his spirits hanging really low.

"Oh…goddam—, Urgh, I this!!" he exclaimed, kicking the bench. His toes screamed as he kicked solid metal, but he covered up his pain. Before he knew it, the screeching sound of the bell shattered his ear drums. He groaned and mournfully picked up his bag. _One hundred points, straight down the drain…_he thought sulkily. _Damn…and I worked so hard on it too…_

Since his head was down, he couldn't see who exactly was in front of him, so it was no surprise when he ran right into someone.

"Hey, watch—Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you! Here, I found this in the park, you must need it. Anyway, I've gotta go to class, see ya!" Yumi ran off before Ulrich could say a single word of astonishing thanks as she dropped a slightly dewed notebook into his arms. Ulrich could hardly believe his luck! With newfound spirit, he sprinted straight into his language room, seating himself right next to Odd and slapping his notebook down onto the table. Odd jumped from his dazed state and stared at the book.

"Wha, oh hey, you found it! Where?"

"Yumi found it in the woods," Ulrich panted, "She gave it to me two seconds ago. Talk about stroke of luck!"

Odd yawned, "That's nice man, now be quiet. It's my naptime."

Ulrich rolled his eyes and sat down, flipping open to his story. To his surprise, there was a yellow post-it note stuck in between the pages. He felt his face slightly get hot as he read what Yumi had wrote in elegant, smooth handwriting.

_Touching story, Ulrich._

_--Y_

_P.S. I really liked the two main characters._

Snatching the note before anyone else could see it; he stuffed it into his pocket. Yumi wasn't exactly supposed to read it yet, as Ulrich still hadn't found enough courage to tell her anything, but what the heck.

It's not like it would start an entire war between their two families or anything.

------

And what I don't say is that later in the day Yumi and Ulrich have a soft talk blah blah blah who cares. Really. I don't need to go blabbing on that long, I just stuck the first and third chapter on here so it would be more suitable here, even though the second chapter IS fanfiction.

And besides, you're on fanfiction! You people should be creative enough to fantasize about what happens afterwards! Gawsh! (oh, just don't write about it though. Don't write about what happens afterwards, please. If I find you do...well then...let's just say that even Phoenix Wright won't be able to save you from your ultimate doom...)

But that's morbid. Please please PLEASE review, for God's (and Amaterasu's) sake! (ahaha...instead of sake you could read it as sa-kay. HAHAHA. Japanese Rice wine. HAHA.)


End file.
